US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. has previously opposed sharing data with health tracking apps, but he appears to have changed his mind considerably.
President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have announced a plan for a new private health tracking system, which is already sparking controversy over privacy concerns.
The system requires patients to share their health data with the government and is said to make it easier for individuals to access their health records and monitor their wellness across different healthcare systems and technologies.
The news was announced on Wednesday, July 30, at a White House event titled “Making Health Technology Great Again,” and it may surprise some, especially considering RFK Jr’s past opinions on sharing personal data with tech companies.
During a 2020 episode of his podcast, RFK Jr said: “It’s connecting all the things in your life, anything that you call smart, that could be your Apple Watch, your cellphone, your GPS on your phone, the GPS on your car, your garage door opener.”
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The Health Secretary expressed particular concern about Big Tech firms using personal data to make money.
“They have so much data now that they have access to … They’re going to take billions of terabytes of data and then they’re going to do analytics on it, monetize it, and sell it back to companies that want to turn you into a permanent consumer,” he explained.
However, in recent months, RFK Jr has strongly endorsed wearable fitness technology as a key part of his Make America Healthy Again campaign.
“It’s a way people can take control of their own health. They can take responsibility,” he told House members on July 22.
“They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and other metrics as they eat, and they can start making better choices about their diet, physical activity, and overall lifestyle.”
The administration and participating companies say this new initiative, in partnership with Big Tech, would help Americans more easily track and share their medical records or data with doctors, hospitals, and health apps.
Kennedy said during Wednesday’s announcement, “For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health. That ends today.
“We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that works for the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.”
Supporters include Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI.
Critics of the new system have raise concerns about how the health data will be used, citing ethical and legal issues.
Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who focuses on public health, said: “There are enormous ethical and legal concerns. Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families.”